Editorial 25 July 2024.
Thursday’s front pages offer a variety of headlines, mostly domestic stories, with no single lead story dominating the front splashes. Several papers report on the stabbing of a soldier in Gillingham in Kent, while the ongoing bullying scandal on the popular TV series Strictly Come Dancing continues to be heavily covered by the tabloids. There’s a handful of UK political stories and a look at the UK’s energy plans.
The back pages report Ben White is considering playing for England again now Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland have departed. Olympics 2024 is also covered on the back – with Morocco’s win over Argentina a popular story.
‘Soldier stabbed 12 times’
The Express reports the man stabbed is believed to be a lieutenant-colonel and he was stabbed up to 12 times in front of his wife. The paper has a picture of the “dramatic moment” a 24-year-old man was arrested just minutes after the attack.
The Mirror calls it “appalling” saying the “stabbing frenzy” happened in a quiet street. The paper quotes a local who says he heard a “piercing scream” as it unfolded. The victim, in his 40s, is in a serious but stable condition in hospital, the paper adds.
‘Tory leadership race’
Various UK political stories make the paper’s front splashes.
The Daily Telegraph reports on Tom Tugendhat, who’s thrown his hat in the ring to be the next Tory leader. The paper picks up on his pledge that he is willing to leave the ECHR if the institution stops the UK from being able to control its borders. The paper says taking this position on the ECHR is an attempt to challenge Kemi Badenoch, one of the frontrunners in the race.
The i newspaper reports that former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is hoping to build a group of rebel independent MPs to pressure PM Starmer on issues like the two-child benefit cap. It comes after several allies of Corbyn were suspended from Labour for rebelling against the government and voting against the cap.
The Times previews an announcement from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband on Thursday to build thousands of offshore wind turbines on the seabed around the UK. The government will lease land owned by the Crown Estate, a business owned by the King, for the wind farms – meaning a “significant rise in revenue” for the royals, the paper adds.
But the Guardian has a more negative outlook on the UK’s energy record. The paper says it has seen exclusive data that shows there is a surge in new oil and gas licences being ranted this year around the world – with rich countries leading the way. The paper says rich countries are best placed to lead the move to clean energy – but instead, they’re “spearheading the drilling frenzy”.
Away from politics, other domestic stories feature on the front pages.
The Metro continues its coverage of the devastating car crash in West Yorkshire that killed six people, including four people from the same family. The paper says a man has been arrested and police are seeking footage of a grey Porsche 911 that was seen driving near the crash site, the paper adds.
The FT looks at a recent slump in the US tech sector saying the crisis is deepening after tech stocks dropped on Wednesday. The paper says overnight results from Tesla and Alphabet. Investors are fleeing stocks that have been boosted by the promise of AI and are instead going to smaller companies, the paper adds.